Dining room at Albion

Foie gras at Albion

Salad with blue cheese, pancetta and apple at Albion

Filet mignon de porc with caramelized onions and boudin noir at Albion

Salmon at Albion

Lemon posset at Albion

Menu at Albion

Open kitchen at Albion

Tables at Albion

Exposed stone and wine shelves at Albion

Wines of the week at Albion

Wine list at Albion

Wine list 2 at Albion

Wine list 3 at Albion

Exterior at Albion

For practical information and a collection of trusted reviews, please see our page for Albion on Paris by Mouth.

Food Intelligence, the source of 90% of the news that we republish on Paris by Mouth, recently reported on some big changes at one of my favorite bistros, Chez Michel. Responding to Bruno’s luscious photos (and in absence of any other plan), I booked a last-minute table on cold-and-rainy Wednesday for a dinner with my former roommate. On my way out the door, a visiting food writer in similarly unbooked straits asked for some advice on where he could go. So Food Snob turned up too, along with James Syhabout and some other culinary pals. I fawned over James, who was utterly delightful on the Omnivore stage, and then settled in for my long-overdue dinner with Kate.

Bruno’s news, that Thierry Breton had ripped out several tables and installed a giant oven in their place, is true enough. A beautiful sight, the stove is tucked away in a different section of the restaurant and not a part of the main dining room. It enables Breton to do a lot of slowly baked dishes, like a potimarron purée that’s ladled from the charred and hollowed squash itself. My volaille fermiere luttée en cocotte (a chicken pot pie studded with morsels of foie) was done in that same oven and served with roasted scorsemères (salsify). The oven also enables Breton to collect and use the crazy delicious jus as condiment. There’s a flagrant drizzle of these roasting juices atop his starter of scrambled, truffled eggs, but their profoundly comforting flavor permeates other dishes as well.

As for the price, it seems on paper to be a big jump from 35€ to 50€. But anyone who abandoned the previous prix-fixe to answer the siren call of the supplements carte can tell you that it was was always 50€ anyway. The pricing now is just much more direct. My only grumble: Chez Michel used to have a staggering cheese course and on this night, with this price jump, offered only fromage blanc. It was a very good one, flecked with the bright green chives and shallot, but come on…

The aforementioned Snob delivered his approval by Skype this morning,  although we agreed that the kouign-aman was not so miam-miam. Including far too much wine (a Charles Hours’ Jurançon, a bit of Foillard Fleurie,  some bubbly “tant-mieux” VdT ), our tab for two was around €165. A less indulgent pair could escape for €40 less.

Chez Michel
10 Rue de Belzunce, 75010
Closed Saturday and Sunday
01 44 53 06 20

> Read other trusted reviews for Chez Michel at Paris by Mouth

As a former Chicago resident, I miss Mexican(s). Both the food, and the fun of working with them in the kitchen (where they reign at every restaurant in that city). At El Nopal, a relatively new tacqueria near the Canal, I get to rediscover the joys of both.

Alejandro, the Monterrey native who runs this place, might not agree that I’m doing work. He may not actually welcome my “contribution” – an endless stream of schemes that end in free tacos for a month  (“I’ll update your Facebook.” “I’ll find you an apartment” and so on…). Unfortunately for him, there’s nowhere to stand inside El Nopal except at the counter looking into the kitchen. That means there’s no refuge for Alejandro while I plow my way through the menu, exclaiming “more hot sauce!” and “you should deliver.”

This nagging is rooted in admiration.  It’s because I love the cactus-filled campechana and Alejandro’s handmade corn tortillas that I want so badly for them to succeed. Every “you should” is tied to a wish that they stick around and continue to feed me. He and Claudia, the hot Colombian wife, have plenty of ideas of their own. For example, this weekend marks the first installment of Sunday brunch,  served all day long and featuring (Mexican) chorizo and eggs. They’re also hunting for a second tortilla press so that they can begin a catering sideline. I’m guessing that press will get a workout when summer arrives and locals discover the joy of  taco picnics along the Canal.

In the meantime, go to El Nopal and order some tortilla-wrapped delicious. Throw back a few Tecate and help keep these guys around. And if you happen to know of an apartment that’s available in the 10th, Alejandro and Claudia are trying to get closer to their tortillas. Aren’t we all…

I’m a little in love with Jamie and Marie.

Since 2004, this Franco-American couple has been raising some of the coolest restaurants (and children) in Paris. Outposts of their Pink Flamingo pizza empire open unerringly in the neighborhoods that need them most – places filled with broke hipsters, post-punk parents, and picnic lovers of every stripe.

However much I love a three course meal at bistros like Frenchie and Paul Bert, I am just as often looking for something cheap and fun. Pink Flamingo has filled that void, providing a brilliant option when there’s a large group (or one of indeterminate size), including people who are otherwise difficult to accommodate: parents with kids, vegetarians, friends with no money, and those who aren’t hungry but want to hang out. The vast majority of Paris restaurants require that we book a small table many days in advance and eat several courses for +30€. They don’t tolerate, for reasons that I understand, variations from this ideal. Pink Flamingo accommodates life.

Their latest offspring – the restaurant at 23 rue d’Aligre – was presented to the world at an opening party Monday night. Pouring free Champagne and passing out hot pizza to friends and neighborhood passersby, Jamie and Marie were the picture of generosity. We stopped by and nibbled a few slices of the Basquiat (gorgonzola, fig, jambon cru) and the Obama (grilled bacon with pineapple chutney) while balancing our wine on the hood of a parked car.

It was delicious, messy, and fun – just as I like it.

Pink Flamingo Paris

• 67 rue Bichat, 75010 (near the Canal Saint-Martin)
• 105 rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 (in the Marais)
• 23 rue d’Aligre, 75012 (near the Marché d’Aligre)

Pink Flamingo Berlin

• Eberswalderstr. 28 / 10437 (Prenzlauer Berg)

Additional links:

• My review of Pink Flamingo for Budget Travel
• The Frugal Traveler’s review of Pink Flamingo for the New York Times
• My profile of the Aligre neighborhood for Budget Travel
• Profiles of the ‘hood by David Lebovitz and Dorie Greenspan [Note: David was saddened to see, at PF's opening party, that Café Aouba (described in both these posts) has closed] Update: David has assured me (in the comments below) that his beloved Café Aouba is closed only temporarily for renovation. Hooray!
• Context Travel’s tasting tour around the Marché d’Aligre

Colorful tables are crammed into a space that’s likely smaller than your living room. The walls are lined with shelves and shelves of wine. You’ll sit so close to your neighbor (a young sommelier, a local actor, a tango instructor) that conversation will be unavoidable.

There are two kinds of evenings at Le Verre Volé. The first is composed of dinner, wine and intimate conversation. The dishes are selected from a chalkboard menu that changes with the seasons. Using nothing more than a couple of toaster ovens, the “cooks” here turn out starters like brandade de morue (salt cod and potato purée) with purple artichokes, or a salad of ripe heirloom tomatoes from Annie Bertin…

…The second kind of evening chez Stolen Glass ends with chairs on pushed-back tables and some manner of debauchery. I have seen tango dancing at Le Verre Volé. I have seen a visiting American break-dancing on the floor (see photo above). I have stood at the counter, long after the exterior gate has been pulled down, and finished off bottles of Who Can Remember with a Metallica-loving sommelier. This wine bar is a magic spring of random Paris adventure…

> Read the full review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

> Read other trusted reviews on Le Verre Volé  at Paris by Mouth

I  love bringing visitors to the Canal St.-Martin. This waterway in the 10th Arrondissement has in recent years become a magnet for hip and artsy Parisians. Good cafés and restaurants have been popping up around the water’s edge, and edgy boutiques for clothing and jewelry can be found not far away. After a morning spent exploring (one that’s usually fueled by pastry from Du Pain et Des Idées), I almost always stop in for lunch at Le Cantine de Quentin. This sweet little place is open only during the day and performs triple duty as a restaurant, cave à vins (wine shop) and épicerie.

The lunch menu is short and sweet, with about six choices for each category of entrée, plat and dessert. I habitually begin with one of their homemade veloutés, whose ingredients change with the seasons. A creamy pumpkin soup topped with grilled chestnuts was just perfect on a recent winter afternoon. Hearty starters like the country terrine and charcuterie plate are more sharable.

>>read the rest of this review at The Girls’ Guide to Paris

In a city with so many incredible restaurants to try, repeat visits are a sure sign of love. Until this week, I could count on one hand the places to which I’ve returned more than three times: Spring, Frenchie, L’Avant Comptoir, Le Baratin and the crêperie Josselin. Chez Michel, the Breton bistro near Gare du Nord, has just joined the ranks and forced me to open a second hand.

My fourth visit on a frozen December evening was nearly perfect. Having arrived early, I waited for my friend with a glass of Cerdon – a sparkling pink wine that’s rarely seen in restaurants (€6). The extra time was devoted to studying both the printed menu and the lengthy chalk-drawn list of specials.

Chez Michel is a single restaurant with many very different ways to dine. The foundation of any experience is the prix fixe menu with three courses for €32. It includes plenty of good pork and seafood options, with 8 starters, 6 mains and 7 desserts. You could stick to the plan and be very happy with a good fish soup, a stellar brandade de morue, plus the famous 36-hour Paris-Brest dessert. I don’t know anybody who does this.

Most people fall victim to the Board of Temptation – a dangerous chalkboard full of dishes that can be substituted for an additional price. Such supplements can be found on prix fixe menus all over town, but Chez Michel takes the concept to another level. Instead of offering one or two slightly special ingredients for a modest €4-5 euro supplement, Chez Michel has a board filled with 25 incredibly special dishes with supplements ranging from €5 to €120. The vast majority are dishes rarely seen anywhere else, which makes it very easy to stray from the prix fixe.

My meal was a fairly typical mix of moderation and splurge. I stuck to the menu for my starter and loved the aigre-doux de choux rouge au lard rôti – sweet and sour cabbage with a fat slice of smoky bacon. I struck out with the main and ordered sea scallops for a €10 supplement. Served in the shell with algae butter and a celery root puree, they were both comforting and refined. I also picked up an €8 surcharge for my dessert – a creamy vacherin du Mont d’Or cheese, sized for two and served warm inside its wooden box, to be eaten with a spoon. With the Cerdon, my half of one very reasonable bottle of wine (a Cheverny Villemade for €26) and un petit Calvados to finish (€3), my bill came to €64 – exactly double the price of prix fixe.

Now let’s talk about the guy next to me. A small-framed older gentleman, he arrived alone but was well-known to the staff. I almost gasped when his starter arrived – the tartine of foie gras topped with a mountain of shaved truffles was almost the size of my forearm (supplement €26). He polished it off quickly, washing down the luxury snack with sips of artisanal beer. What arrived next was something I’d read about but never seen – a bowl full of tiny and rare baby eels called civelles (supplement €60). He then went on to eat a mountain of biche (female deer, supplement €25) for his main dish, to be followed by dessert. It was one of the most impressive dining performances I’ve ever seen.

Like I said: a single restaurant but with many different ways to dine. A moderate eater can be perfectly happy with the standard three-course €32 menu. A gastronomic god disguised as a grandpa can splurge on rare and expensive treats and spend more than €160. Most people end up somewhere in the middle, and most everyone leaves happy. Those who are less pleased tend to be English-only tourists who don’t understand the concept (a €32 minimum with 3 obligatory courses) or become frustrated when the staff fail to properly translate the long list of changing and obscure ingredients. Those who are less fluent should bring a dictionary and a sense of adventure.

In a nutshell: Come to Chez Michel for classic Breton fare – heavy on both seafood and pork dishes – and well-sourced luxuries available as a supplement to the €32 menu. The long list of (25+) specials has plenty to tempt the adventurous foodie, including an excellent selection of wild game during the season. Grandmotherly decor with friendly service, steps away from Gare du Nord.

Chez Michel
10 Rue de Belzunce in the 10th arrondissement
Closed Saturday and Sunday
01 44 53 06 20

If you like the sound of Chez Michel but want to take your supplements further south:
La Régalade
14 avenue Jean Moulin in the 14th arrondissement
01 45 39 71 54

> Reprinted with permission from the Girls’ Guide to Paris

> Read other trusted reviews for Chez Michel at Paris by Mouth

Today’s challenge as part of the Edible Advent Calendar:

Can you name this treat?

Leave your answer (product/location) in the comments section below. The reader who has accumulated the most victories by December 24 will receive an edible Christmas present from me. I’ll keep your guesses hidden until the answer is revealed tomorrow on Budget Travel, then I’ll publish the comments and name the winner for this challenge.

YESTERDAY’S WINNERS:
That one was pretty easy, what with the word “camembert” scrawled on on the sign. Nonetheless, the following earn a point for correctly naming that which smells of “les pieds de Dieu” from Quatrehomme. Anne, Sophie, Kelaine and Jamie Samons. Theresa nailed the stink but not the source, but I liked her alternative so much that I’m giving her a point anyway.  Half point to Lil for her cheeky answer. The full description of this delicious thing will be appearing later today on the Budget Travel Paris Page. ]]> http://megzimbeck.com/2009/12/edible-advent-dec5-2/feed/ 6